Despite visa challenges, Europe continues to lead preferences of Indian travellers, and this is reiterated in Thomas Cook and SOTC’s data – with over 55% of its customers indicating keen interest to travel to Europe for Summer 2024. Hence, aimed at catalysing demand and accelerating bookings, Thomas Cook (India) Limited, India’s leading omnichannel travel services company, and its Group Company, SOTC Travel, have launched their European Holidays 2024, exclusive group-escorted tours – with multiple departures from key metros and customised holidays, commencing March 2024. This first mover initiative by Thomas Cook and SOTC will benefit early bookers by enabling them apply well in advance for their visas.

The DGCA has finalised the new winter schedule for domestic flights effective October 29, 2023 for Indian airlines. It is 3% more than this summer and almost 8% more than last winter flights. Among the big airlines, the maximum increase in flights is by IndiGo and Air India. There are 23,732 departures per week to/from 118 airports as compared to 22,907 from 110 airports in summer schedule 2023.

Experience Kissimmee is organising an exclusive virtual tour of the sunny destination in Florida for the travel trade on Nov 1 at 11am. Through this webinar, attendees can understand myriad ways in which their clients’ trip can be made memorable. For more information, write to jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or 9650196532.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has approved a unified tourist visa, much like the Schegen Zone, that will allow visitors to travel freely between all 6 GCC countries of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE. This is expected to be rolled out in 2024 – 2025. Specific regulations and legislation are to be prepared, with a projected implementation between 2024 and 2025, depending on the readiness of each GCC country’s internal systems. This initiative is an integral part of the GCC 2030 tourism strategy.  

The Ministry of Tourism recently attended the BRICS Tourism Ministers Meeting held in Cape Town, South Africa. The joint communique signed on the occasion highlighted mainstreaming sustainable policies and practices, developing more sustainable tourism business models and reconsidering perceptions of tourism success to achieve a resilient, sustainable and inclusive tourism sector.

Qatar Airways Group confirms that after 27 years of remarkable service, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive – His Excellency Akbar Al Baker, will be stepping down from his current position effective 5 November 2023, and will be succeeded by Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer as Group Chief Executive for Qatar Airways.

The Sri Lankan Cabinet has approved a proposal to grant free visas to travellers from seven countries – India, China, Russia, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan and Indonesia – with immediate effect as part of a pilot project till 31 March. Tourists from these countries are now entitled to free visa.  

The recent event to launch the Barcelo Maldives product, organized by ONE Above Global, marked an extraordinary success! With the presence of over 70 esteemed trade partners, One Above hosted an evening to commemorate its enduring collaborations with valued travel partners. During this event, we unveiled Barcelo Whale Lagoon Maldives as its newest addition to the lineup of hotel partners in the Maldives. Barceló Whale Lagoon Maldives, located in the South Ari atoll, is an exclusive 5-star resort offering tranquility and comfort in a chic beach setting. With turquoise waters, white sand, and coral gardens, it’s ideal for romantic getaways and family adventures. The resort boasts 100 well-equipped villas, including 63 Beach Villas, 30 Water Villas, and 7 Beach Suites with plunge pools, ensuring privacy and tranquility. Enjoy a variety of water sports and the chance to spot whale sharks and manta rays. Rahim Aslam, Co-Founder of One Above DMC, expressed his deep appreciation, stating, “We hold our partnerships with each of you in high regard. Our dedicated team strives tirelessly to deliver top-notch services to your clients. With every new partnership, we grow closer, evolving into a closely-knit family. Here’s to a future filled with more celebrations, achievements, and milestones as we continue our journey this year.

Booking.com has released its first ‘How India Travels’ report which provides insights into the evolving nature of Indian travellers. The report reveals an intriguing trait of Indian travellers – with an average window of just 29 days, they showcase remarkable spontaneity in their trip planning followed by Japan (57 days) and USA (63 days). It adds that food is now a priority and there is a surge in demand for alternative accommodation options. The 2020s: A Decade Owned by Indian Travellers, Ready to Explore Again Pre COVID-19, Indian travellers spent a total of USD 150 billion on travel marking India as the sixth largest global spender. With a strong economy, a growing middle class and travel-loving youth driving more tourism revenue in India than ever before, it is anticipated that by 2030, total expenditure made by Indian travellers will soar to an impressive USD 410 billion making India the fourth largest global spender and registering the quickest COVID recovery globally across key regions. Due to prolonged travel restrictions, especially in China, Japan and South-East Asia, tourism in Asia remained muted through 2022. India led the way on tourism expenditure recovery in 2022 by reaching 78% of 2019 levels, vis-à-vis 52% for Asia. The number of aggregate trips is expected to increase from 2.3 billion in 2019 to a staggering 5 billion in 2030.

Addressing the audience virtually at the ongoing Global Maritime India Summit in Mumbai, PM Modi said, “We have taken many initiatives to develop maritime tourism in India. We started the world’s longest river cruise service. We are also working on various projects related to cruise tourism across ports like Mumbai’s new international cruise terminal, as well as the new and modern cruise terminals in Vizag and Chennai. We are taking major steps towards making India a major cruise hub.”